At least two people died when an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck near Iran's Shiite Muslim holy city of Mashhad on Wednesday, local media reported.

The quake struck at 10:39 am (0609 GMT) around 80 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of Iran's second city in an area called Sepidsang.

Two people have been reported dead and four injured, local officials told state television, with four villages said to have been badly damaged.

Rescue teams have been sent to affected areas, where some 20 aftershocks have been reported.

"It was horrible. It made a lot of noise. Everything was shaking," a Mashhad resident told AFP by phone.

Iran lies on a major fault line and sees frequent earthquakes. The most recent was in January, when four people died in southern Iran.

A 2003 quake killed at least 31,000 people and all but destroyed the historic city of Bam in the southeast of the country.

Tweet

Satellites shed new light on earthquakes
Paris (ESA) Mar 27, 2017
Satellite radar scans of last year's earthquake in New Zealand are changing the way we are thinking about earthquake hazards in regions where our planet's tectonic plates meet. The 7.8-magnitude quake that struck New Zealand's South Island near the town of Kaikoura on 14 November was one of the most comprehensively recorded earthquakes in history. Immediately after it, a team of scie ... read more

Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only